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Why Uniqlo Coming to Toronto is a Big Deal

I bring an extra large suitcase every time I visit a city where there is a Uniqlo. It’s a common ritual that I eagerly participated in whenever I traveled to a city where I knew there would be one. By the end, the suitcase is stuffed until I could hardly close it. The return trip home is always a struggle, hauling extra-heavy luggage through the airport. I tell myself repeatedly “never again, never again.” Until I unpacked. Whether it was multiple pairs of black denim, countless pairs of socks, packs of white t-shirts, my closet was brimming with foundational pieces for my wardrobe. Then brand announced that they were finally heading North, and opening two locations in Toronto. The countdown was on. And with the official launch of the first store only a few weeks away, here are a three of reasons why Uniqlo coming to Toronto is a big ass deal.

Best of Fast Fashion

In an ideal world most of us would solely wear and support independent designers, and flex in high-end fashion. But it’s simply not realistic. Investing in fast fashion is a reality for many. While outlets such as Zara and H&M have always been trend focused with lackluster quality, Uniqlo has always taken a different approach. The goal of trend focused fast-fashion retailers is for you to buy, and buy often. To get rid of the clothes because the are no longer on trend or break down (whomp whomp). Uniqlo offers clothing that is no frills. But the brand’s culture has always been rooted in innovation. The retailer has always been pushing the envelope on constant improvement on the quality of the fabrics while still maintaining the lowest price possible. Uniqlo’s leverage of technology has also set themselves apart from other fast fashion competitors. The brand’s Airism and Heattech technologically enhanced fabrics offer functional, valuable clothing at a credit score friendly price point.

Accessibility

The democratization of fashion has been a theme within the fashion industry within the past decade. Walk into any Uniqlo store, and you see it right in front of you. All walks of life no matter age, style, social class, gender, shopping for well-made clothing. It’s as simple as that. Yes, it can get chaotic if you visit a store on a weekend with long queues to try on clothing. And sometimes I just bought the last one in your size. But for the most part, the store will always try to meet the demand of its most popular products.

Collaborations

Fast fashion and high-end designer collaborations are not anything new. While H&M often steals the spotlight and headlines with their yearly collaboration with big splashy names, it’s Uniqlo’s that have been the most consistent. The brand’s past two collaborations with Lemaire have been a home run, taking the laid-back minimalist design aesthetic of Christophe Lemaire and fusing them with affordable Uniqlo pricing. With past collaborations collections with the likes of Jil Sander, Alexander Wang, Alexandre Plokhov, Michael Bastain, this might be the new collaboration to be lining up for in the city.